While onsite event tech solutions have existed for years, they were far from ubiquitous in pre-pandemic times and historically faced challenges with low adoption rates. However, the rise of virtual events throughout the pandemic has largely solved that problem by forcing the widespread adoption of event technology among both organizers and attendees.
As Thorben Grosser, VP of Product Marketing and Events at EventMobi, explains: “Having to be in video meetings for a good portion of the last 18 months has eliminated that barrier [of low adoption] — in B2B events, there is hardly anyone anymore who doesn't know how to get to grips with event technology.”
This new experience and education around event tech is carrying over to in-person events as they continue to make a comeback and is changing both attendee expectations and planners’ ability to deliver great experiences.
“The widespread adoption of event tech during the pandemic has definitely changed the way technology is used during in-person events,” says Brad Langley, Vice President, Channel & Enterprise Markets at Aventri (now merged with MeetingPlay). “Event professionals and attendees have experienced what's possible with virtual. Now, organizers have great interest in innovative engagement features and behavioral data that have been the norm throughout the pandemic.”
According to Grosser, online streams are one example of planners leveraging more advanced technologies at their events. “Being able to record your in-person session was a huge step for every planner pre-pandemic. With planners understanding the value of recorded sessions — this is becoming the norm, and video libraries in event apps are becoming a necessity.”
Langley shares that some other features that have been staples at virtual events that are now growing in popularity at in-person events are live Q&A and chat. These features have become basic expectations at digital events and have been essential when it comes to engaging and holding the interest of virtual attendees.
“Virtual attendees tell us they like to connect one-on-one with speakers and get answers from experts quickly,” he explains. “Fortunately, new mobile event apps are optimized for hybrid to keep everything connected in an onsite solution. For instance, people can attend a live session. Immediately after the presentation, they can use their event app to engage one-on-one with the speaker through live Q&A’s, chat, and other interactivity features.”
He notes that another growing trend is for attendees in live sessions to interact with other attendees using the in-app chat. “Integrated hybrid engagement amplifies networking opportunities. Robust, new event apps enable attendees to connect with others seamlessly in real time, regardless of location,” he adds.
AI matchmaking has been a similarly popular feature at virtual events as a way to encourage attendees to connect and network. “These tools not only simplify and improve virtual networking,” says Langley. “They also drive connections at hybrid and in-person events.”
AI-powered matchmaking works the same way at an in-person event as it does in a virtual environment, with the tech recommending networking opportunities, sessions, and exhibitor booths based on interests that an attendee has indicated through the event app. As the feature continues to gain traction, it is helping attendees make the most of their event experience, at a time when quality face-to-face connections are more important than ever.
Perhaps the most significant impact that virtual events have had on the way event technology is deployed is around data collection. “Tracking data at onsite events wasn't much of a concern in the past, even though we, the vendors, always offered it. With online events, and online marketers who track data routinely coming into the picture, this has changed,” says Grosser.
Langley concurs: “Virtual events brought to light the importance of tracking attendee behavior to improve the experience and demonstrate ROI. Now, enterprises are showing increased focus on measuring how in-person gatherings achieve their goals.”
Of course, tracking attendee behavior onsite is inherently more difficult than doing so online as they are not immersed in a digital environment. “Yet, event planners are now used to having good data,” says Grosser, so event tech companies have become more focused on facilitating onsite data collection.
For example, he notes that “session scanning tools, that, in the past, were often separate from the rest of the event tech stack, now become deeply integrated. I think, for a while, we will continue using the same data points. What will be new, however, is that those data points will be combined and interrelated moving forward.”
Langley shares that event tech tools are also facilitating the creation of customized ROI reports that include relevant data points such as booth traffic or overall engagement and help organizers and stakeholders measure event success in a more concrete way. “These metrics not only measure return on investment,” he says. “They also provide fresh insights to help meeting profs and their partners personalize event follow-up and improve sales and marketing moving forward.
While the priority for most in-person attendees right now is to reconnect face-to-face and not spend as much time on digital platforms or apps, technology will continue to play an important role in events of all formats and has a huge opportunity to enhance the attendee experience rather than take away from it.
As Grosser puts it, “If your event is good, people will be mentally present. What's more: good design and good technology are almost invisible. If we're doing our job right, and the planners are utilizing the tools correctly, they bring value without being noticed much. Technology that is distracting is not good technology.”
Event tech companies are working hard to create updated event apps that are designed to bridge the gap between virtual and onsite experiences. “Frankly, we don’t see this as an either/or situation: connect digitally or connect face-to-face. Moving forward, virtual and in-person formats will work together,” says Langley. “In-person and hybrid events will be big in 2022. But they’ll be different. And the in-person experience will be better, enriched by exciting digital innovations.”